Updated at: 28-04-2022 - By: Leo Hall

When it comes to Overwatch Supports, Zenyatta is a well-balanced hero who can provide both healing and damage to any squad.

Become enlightened as the omnic monk Zenyatta with our Overwatch Zenyatta guide, which includes the greatest techniques, tricks, and tips for the character.

Check out our Overwatch Beginner’s Guide for more helpful hints, including information on hero roles, team composition, and winning strategies.

Zenyatta Abilities and Role Explained

A hybrid healer and DPS hero, Zenyatta prefers to support his teammates from afar.

This is due to the fact that most of his abilities are projectile-based, which can either harm or benefit other players on the field of combat.

Here we’ll take a closer look at Zenyatta’s skills and offer tips on how to make the most of them during a fight.

How To Use Orb Of Destruction

To deal with his foes, Zenyatta’s primary attack is a barrage of destructive energy orbs that he fires from his palms at a speed of 90 meters per second. Each orb deals 48 damage.

It has a 1.5-second reload time and can fire 2.5 bullets per second, allowing Zenyatta to quickly destroy his adversaries, making it one of his most powerful weapons.

But because of their Pinpoint spread angle, the Orb of Destruction demands you to precisely line up shots in order to inflict any harm all.

Zenyatta’s secondary fire consists of him building up his Orbs for a few seconds before unleashing a concentrated burst of damage on his target.

How To Use Orb Of Harmony

Using Orb of Harmony, a projectile-based buff, Zenyatta can gradually replenish the health of a designated ally within 40 meters.

As long as Zen is able to keep track of the target for more than three seconds, he will continue to deliver 30 healing every second.

The Orb of Harmony can only be used by one member of your team at a time, but it can be given to another member of your team right away, so don’t be hesitant to do so.

Because Orb of Harmony only heals teammates in Zenyatta’s direct line of sight, it’s important to keep an eye on where you’re placing your heals when your allies’ health is at its lowest.

How To Use Orb Of Discord

Projectile debuff that may be given to any selected enemy to increase the damage they take by 25 percent, Orb of Discord is the opposite of Orb of Harmony.

Orb of Harmony’s range and projectile speed are identical to this one, except its effects take effect immediately rather than over time.

Zen can only use it on one adversary at once and it is removed after three seconds of an enemy being outside Zen’s visual field.

Your best bet is to aim your Orb of Discord at the adversary that most of your teammates are aiming at, as doing so is more likely to result in a team kill.

How To Use Transcendence (Ultimate)

In contrast to the most of Zen’s abilities, his Ultimate requires you to get right in the thick of the action.

In the heightened state of Transcendence, Zenyatta is invulnerable to all damage while simultaneously healing all of his teammates within a 10-meter radius at the rate of 300 health per second.

He can also move at 11 meters per second, making it easier for him to go around and help his comrades, who may be in the middle of an Ult or just low on health.

Transcendence is one of the best Ultimates in the game, but it should only be used in instances where your team faces certain annihilation.

Zenyatta Strengths

Zenyatta, despite its obvious flaws, can be incredibly successful in battle when paired with a reliable healer and aggressive tanks.

With good aim, Zen is capable of 2HKOing Discorded foes.

Some heroes are naturally better at working with Zenyatta than others, so let’s take a look at the most significant ones first.

Which Heroes Combo Best With Zenyatta?

  • This means that your squad will be stranded less often while the healers return to their starting point because Zen can patch up Mercy’s health at any time, and vice versa.
  • They can annihilate squishy heroes in a flash thanks to Winston’s Discord Orb and Tesla Cannon combo.
  • Lucio – Increases Zen’s mobility and reduces the risk of him being isolated from the rest of the team.
  • Genji – Zen can use Transcendence to protect Genji as he unleashes Dragonblade on the other side.
  • Keep an eye on Zen and protect him from attackers that sneak into your team’s backline with Pharah’s verticality.
  • With the use of her Defense Matrix, D.Va can shield Zen from anyone who would seek to harm him.

Zenyatta Weaknesses

If you’ve spent any time with Zenyatta, you’ve probably noticed his weaknesses right away due to how obvious they are.

When confronted with close-range enemies like Reinhardt, Doomfist, or Reaper, his movement speed is laughably slow, especially for such a squishy hero.

Sadly, there are many more heroes who have an edge over Zen in most situations, so we’ll go ahead and list them.

Which Heroes Does Zenyatta Struggle Against?

  • In spite of Zen’s superiority in long-range combat, the Widowmaker’s headshots are simply too lethal for him to survive.
  • Infiltrate teams’ backlines and make Zenyatta’s life a true challenge with Reaper.
  • Unlike Reaper, Tracer evades tanks and distracts Zen from his healing process.
  • Any close-range encounter with Genji is certain to result in Zen’s death because of Genji’s speed and agility.
  • McCree — Zen’s limited mobility makes him simple to trap with Mcree’s flashbang, but not as one-sided as previous matchups.
  • Similar to Widowmaker, Hanzo’s Dragonstrike Ultimate can be difficult for Zenyatta to avoid if you aren’t attentive.
  • Self-healing to compensate for Discord’s influence; more consistent damage in a duel against Zen.
  • Will go right up in Zen’s face and Tesla Cannon him to death; Zen’s enormous healthpool is too much for Zen to handle.
  • As long as Zenyatta is able to target Pharah, he is taking his eyes off the main battle and jeopardizing his comrades.
  • Keep Zen away from Roadhog if you’re playing the character; his hook can snatch him and blast him away if he gets too close.

General Tips for Playing Zenyatta

It is my hope that after reading this tutorial, you would have obtained a better knowledge of Zenyatta’s role in battle and his powers.

Keep an eye on your teammates and your foes’ positions and health while zeroing in on the weakest targets as Zenyatta.

Just a few more general Zen playing suggestions before we end things up.

  • We don’t advocate trying to play Zenyatta as a single healer due to the slow healing properties of Orb of Harmony.
  • Avoid putting yourself in positions where the enemy may see you from many angles, and remain to the back of your team.
  • Do not attempt to flee if you are being flanked by an attacker; because to Zen’s weak mobility, you have a higher chance of winning the battle than fleeing.
  • Keeping in mind that Zenyatta’s shields make up the majority of his health, it is possible to conceal for a few seconds to recuperate if you take any damage.
  • You can get a general notion of where the adversary is located by using the Orb of Discord’s auto-targeting reticle system.

Zenyatta’s Abilities

Orb of Destruction (Primary Fire)

The current damage output of the Orb of Destruction is 48 for a body hit and 96 for a headshot. In terms of damage for an assist, it’s not bad at all. Orb of Discord gives 25% more damage to the victim and increases your damage by 60 per body shot and 120 per headshot. We’ll talk about it later. Even if the enemy is squishy, two-shotting him is possible if you’re exact.

The Destruction orb can be shot in two ways: one by one, as usual, or in a volley, in which you charge it and then unleash it to deal a large amount of damage in a short period of time.

In order to use volley burst damage effectively, you should charge it up while hiding behind a cover and then release it, repeating this procedure. When you use this method, you can quickly detonate your opponents’ squishies. If you acquire a soft pick just as the opposing team is about to push, you can damage them severely and carry your team to victory.

Orb of Harmony

When used properly, Zen’s healing per second can be incredibly beneficial. The orb will return to you after three seconds if you lose sight of it.

As a general rule, pre-fight you should orb the person most likely to take the brunt of the damage, which is typically a tank. A Reinhardt, for example, should be pre-orbered so that he can confidently carry out his mission.

It is imperative that you repair a diver or flanker like Tracer or Genji as soon as the fight begins because it is so easy for the orb to hit them even if they are out of sight. Healing them for half as much HP before the orb returns is a good deal for them.

You can heal friends from anywhere on the globe as long as you have a clear line of sight to them, which is something no other healer can do without jeopardizing their position.

Finally, self-healing healers like Baptiste and Ana are fantastic because they can conserve their abilities for when they are most needed.

Ana, Baptiste, and Moira are able to heal their team with large amounts of utility, but you can’t, therefore you need to keep them alive. In the event that they are killed, the enemy team will likely overwhelm you and you will be unable to keep your squad alive.

If the opposition team punishes your second support, you’re out of the game.

Orb of Discord

Besides the ult., Zen’s most potent ability is the Orb of Discord. To help you get the most out of this opportunity, I’ll go over exactly what you need to do.

When using Discord, keep in mind that the target must be clearly visible in your line of sight, which includes enemy shields. After three seconds, the weapon will return to you. The ability increases the target’s damage by 25% from all sources.

Because Discord amplifies all incoming damage, the bonus isn’t as great as Mercy’s, but when the target is correctly focused, the statistics grow ridiculous.

This ability’s value is maximized when it is called, which means you should alert your squad, ideally via voice, that you have Discorded an enemy and that they should concentrate on it. In a team fight, you can allow your squad to react even faster by allowing them to see who is Discorded.

If the opponent tank has a Reinhardt for example, discording him and killing him means that he has no shield and your line of sight is now clear for greater action.

Another example is Discording diving heroes like Winston or Tracer, which you must do instantly if they dive you, and then cry out for your team to finish him off.

Transcendence

In the face of ults such as Graviton Surge, Gravitic Flux, and Pharah’s Barrage, Transcendence is an excellent group heal.

You gain improved movement speed and invulnerability during its 6-second duration. You must activate Transcendence sooner than Lucio’s beat because of positioning advice that I’ll discuss later and the narrower range of Transcendence. This is unlike Lucio’s beat, for example, which instantly gives you shields.

Although you move faster, the heal is not instantaneous, thus you must account for the time it will take you to reach your teammates and trigger Transcendence in accordance with that time. Don’t utilize the Transcendence if you fail this and it’s too late; reserve it for the next fight.

If your Transcendence still has 1-2-3 seconds left and you’re confident you’ve healed through the most of the enemy team’s damage, you should take advantage of that time to relocate yourself rather than sit like a duck in the midst of your team and be exposed when it expires.

Secondarily, if a couple of your squishies are trapped by Graviton and their team is burst-heavy, you should not Transcend and try to heal them if they can still be blown up. Instead of using it now, you should save it up for the next time around. Developing this way of thinking takes time and effort.

Positioning as Zenyatta

Assuming you don’t already know how to position yourself, take these three steps in order:

Ensure your own safety

Spells can also be used.

Inflict harm.

Start by putting yourself in the back of the pack if there is a team fight going on. You must be able to use all of your powers to the fullest extent possible. This does, however, imply that you are vulnerable to flankers, which is to be expected.

Because to the nature of the game, you can never be completely safe. As long as you don’t allow your team to get in their way, you’re safe from the rest of the enemy. That’s why you’ll try to snag a spot at the rear, preferably near the health packs.

If a diver or a flanker appears, you’ll likely have to fight them and either kite them to your team or even defeat them. When you use the Orb of Discord on them, they will be quickly destroyed.

Even if they’re behind their squad, a Winston or Tracer can easily run through and get you, which is a common mistake made by Zen players when they overextend. Your best bet is to keep your distance from your teammates as close as possible, while also keeping a safe distance from the opposing squad.

Discord and Destruction

A support hero, Zenyatta does a lot more than just heal. In fact, his ability to inflict massive amounts of harm is more important than his ability to heal. As a result, he’s the game’s primary offensive support hero, and his best use is as a backup healer to another support hero.

When it comes to dealing damage, Zen really shines. It’s the first of his abilities, Orb of Discord, which increases damage taken by 30%. It can be used to prioritize targets and take them out as quickly as possible by being planted on an enemy within his line of sight. It also has no cooldown time and can be utilized at any moment.

When Zenyatta notifies his allies that the target has Orb of Discord, they can immediately flood the target and deplete its HP. Discord is one of the game’s most powerful tools for doing damage, whether it’s a tank with a large health pool or a squishy support hero.

Zenyatta’s primary weapon is the Orb of Destruction, a linear missile that travels at 66.66 meters per second and deals 46 damage every hit. When fully charged, Orb Volley, his secondary attack, can discharge up to five orbs at once. Assuming you’re aiming for immobile targets like Bastion or Widowmaker, you’ll be able to wreak havoc with a maximum damage output of 230.

Zen’s missiles are dangerous from a reasonable distance, therefore mastering the feel and accuracy of his bullets is essential to maximizing his potential. To provide good chip damage and aid your squad out in a fight, you need charge up your volleys and hurl them into a cluster of adversaries. When an enemy is rounding a corner or traveling horizontally across your field of vision, using the Volley can help you lead shots.

Harmony and Tranquility

When paired with another support like Lucio, Ana, or Mercy, Zenyatta excels as a healer. His Orb of Harmony is similar to his Orb of Discord in that it is a homing projectile that flies at a high speed (120 meters per second), but it only restores 30 health per second.

As with Discord, Zenyatta’s healing orb will only last for three seconds when the ally is no longer in his line of sight. When Zenyatta has a Harmony orb on someone in his line of sight, he can immediately return to inflicting damage and casting Discord orbs thanks to the passive healing provided by the ability.

It’s possible for him to maintain an orb on another victim while Mercy cures the first one. Harmony’s healing power isn’t as strong as that of other support heroes, but it still helps keep tanks alive. In no way, shape, or form should you attempt to take on Zenyatta by yourself.

Zenyatta may be a good healer if he pays attention to the health pools of his friends and switches Harmony targets accordingly. When fighting an opponent, planting Harmony on them in beforehand might be really beneficial. However, Harmony has the lowest healing-per-second of any support hero in the game.

Pass into the iris

While Zenyatta’s ultimate is one of the most game-changing abilities in Overwatch, Orb of Discord may be a huge asset. An area-of-effect heal, Transcendence restores 300 health every second to allies within a 10-meter radius, which is ten times faster than Orb of Harmony.

During the six-second duration of the ultimate, Zenyatta’s movement speed is increased by two and he becomes invulnerable. Transcendence’s rapid casting time makes it helpful in a variety of situations.

It is vital to remember that Transcendence can be used to negate the effects of a slew of other ultimate abilities. As a result of Zenyatta’s healing output, he is able to keep his squad alive through a variety of attacks, including Genji’s Dragonblade and Soldier: 76’s Tactical Visor. If Zenyatta is activated at the correct time, he can keep a friendly alive until the assault is over.

When allies are taking damage, activating Transcendence in the middle of a team fight can be a good strategy, as can starting a team push with it. When it comes to securing an objective, Zenyatta’s well-timed ult may make all the difference.

Transcendence is also useful when battling for a cargo or a capture site. This technique works well because while he has the chance to argue a point he is completely protected. While waiting for your squad, you can use Transcendence’s speed increase to make a last-ditch effort to get to a location where you can contest it.

The matchups

Strong against

Tanks

Anti-tank debuff Orb of Discord increases incoming damage by 30 percent. To take down Winston, Reinhardt or Orisa with Zenyatta and one of his teammates, Discord is the best way to go.

Offensive ultimates

With her Transcendence ability, Zenyatta is one of the greatest characters in the game for dealing with a variety of offensive ultimates such as Dragonblade, Tactical Visor, and Graviton Surge from Genji and Soldier: 76. Any of these powers can be fatal in the absence of Transcendence. However, they are mainly rendered ineffective if Zenyatta responds with his ult.

Pharah

Pharah is one of the most difficult characters in the game to take down, and with a Mercy linked to her, she becomes even more dangerous. You can deal with this combo by using a Discord orb on her and letting heroes like McCree and Soldier: 76 do their damage with hitscan abilities.

Weak against

Snipers

While Zenyatta has a lot going for him, his health pool and movement speed are two areas where he could use some improvement. In the hands of Widowmaker and Hanzo, whose long-range high damage makes Zen an easy target, Zen is quickly dispatched.

Flankers

Zenyatta is a high priority target for Genji and Tracer, who can go wild on him. Zen is unable to compete with their agility and quickness, and in most cases, he will come out on the losing side.

Zarya

Because it removes the Orb of Discord from Zarya’s companions, Zarya’s Projected Barrier is particularly troublesome for Zen. Zenyatta’s harm will be largely protected by her defenses.

The learning curve for Zenyatta is steep, but the payoff is well worth the effort. In terms of raw healing power, he’s the weakest of the game’s healers, but his ultimate burst healing and insane damage output make him a serious threat in a variety of team configurations.

FAQS:

How do I use Zenyatta Overwatch?

Zenyatta’s orbs will be unleashed as soon as you unleash your secondary fire. You’ll be a superb Zenyatta if you can consistently hit your orbs of destruction, one of Zenyatta’s most important abilities. You’ll be losing out on a lot of the fun of Zen if you can’t hit your orbs.

Why is Zenyatta hard?

Yes, his limited health pool and inability to move make him a really challenging character to master. You’ll quickly uncover one of Overwatch’s most rewarding heroes if you put the work in. My favorite character in the entire game is Zenyatta, and it saddens me that he receives so little attention.

Is Zenyatta meta?

Including Mercy Meta, Dive and Goats, as well as Double Shield, Hog/Zarya and Ball/Sigma. Zenyatta is present in each of these comparisons. After all these years, it’s time for him to seek a fresh start.

Who is the best healer in Overwatch?

The finest healer in Overwatch and other first-person shooters, Ana is a no-brainer for players at the top of their game. Although her skillshot-based healing rifle offers ample healing, it isn’t extremely accurate, and her Sleep Dart is an excellent tool for putting an end to an enemy’s ultimate attack.

Conclusion:

I hope my Zenyatta guide has been useful to you and that you’ll soon be able to acquire a higher level of skill as Zen.